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Note: In Memory of GEORGE E. GOSSAGE Private Numbered 1385 and then 17322 9th Coy., Machine Gun Corps who died of wounds on Friday 31 March 1916 . At age 23 . Son of William and Emma Gossage, of St. Leonard's Farm, Victoria Rd., Acton, London. George enlisted in Acton, Middlesex, numbered 1385, George took basic training with the 5th or 6th Reserve Battalions in Hounslow. After which he disembarked in France on 11 November 1914 earning himself the 1914 Star. In France he joined the 4th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) it was stationed at Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight at the outbreak of war in 1914. It was part of the 9th Brigaid, 3rd Division, and disembarked at Le Havre on 13 August 1914. The division participated in the battles of Mons, the retreat from Mons, Le Cateau, Aisne and Ypres before the turn of the year. On the day George landed he participated in the Battle of Nonne Bosschen and then on the 14th December participated in the Attack on Wytschate. On June 16 1915 he fought in the First attack on Bellewaarde and in July 19 the Hooge and lastly in 1915 the Second Attack on Bellewaarde. In early February 1916, the 9th Machine Company was formed and George transferred willingly or otherwise into the Machine Gun Corps on the formation of the company and then re-numbered 17322. It is possible George never knew he was a member of the newly formed Machine Gun Corps and had been re-numbered. On 2nd March 1916 he was involved in the battle named "Recapture of the Bluff"(76 Brigade under 17th Division) and then was in the Capture of St Eloi Crater that lasted from 27th March thru 4th April 1916. George died of wounds from that battle and buried in Etaples, (Section 6. Row E. Grave No 10.) a major infantry base depot on the french coast. The Medal Index Chart (MIC) reflects that George received the Victory Medal, British medal and the 1914 Star. It also clearly states that he died of wounds (DOW) March 31,1916. ETAPLES MILITARY CEMETERY Pas de Calais, France Etaples is a town about 27 kilometers south of Boulogne. The Military Cemetery is to the north of the town, on the west side of the road to Boulogne . During the First World War, the area around Etaples was the scene of immense concentrations of Commonwealth reinforcement camps and hospitals. It was remote from attack, except from aircraft, and accessible by railway from both the northern or the southern battlefields. In 1917, 100,000 troops were camped among the sand dunes and the hospitals, which included eleven general, one stationary, four Red Cross hospitals and a convalescent depot, could deal with 22,000 wounded or sick. In September 1919, ten months after the Armistice, three hospitals and the Q.M.A.A.C. convalescent depot remained. The cemetery contains 10,769 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, the earliest dating from May 1915. Hospitals were again stationed at Etaples during the Second World War and the cemetery was used for burials from January 1940 until the evacuation at the end of May 1940. After the war, a number of graves were brought into the cemetery from other French burial grounds. Of the 119 Second World War burials, 38 are unidentified. Etaples Military Cemetery also contains 658 German burials and a few war graves of other nationalities. The cemetery, the largest Commission cemetery in France, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. 1914-Star This medal was awarded to those who served in France and Belgium between August 1914 and November 1914. The medal bears the date 1914 in the centre of the wreath together with the dates "Aug" and "Nov" above and below. The medal ribbon is red, white and blue. The medal is named on the plain reverse. A bar for those under fire between August and November was issued, the "Mons Clasp". This medal is commonly referred to as the Mons Star, since the majority of the recipients took part in the retreat from Mons. Victory Medal This medal bears the same basic design which was adopted by a number of other Allied nations. The medal ribbon bears multiple stripes of various colour . The medal is normally named . No bars were issued with this medal and over 6 million of these were issued making it a fairly common medal. British War Medal This medal was awarded to record the end of the First World War, however this was extended to cover operations upto 1920 which included mine clearance. The medal ribbon bears stripes of blue, black, white and orange. The medal is normally named . No bars were issued with this medal. Over 6 million of these were issued and as such it is a fairly common medal, however medals issued to certain regiments etc., may command more interest.
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